A Snowbird in Paradise

Several days ago we were up the coast about an hour, visiting my FIL. This thing was hanging from a large cork tree by the apartment complex he owns. I was fascinated.

As an old science teacher, one of my pet peeves was people who see a WASP and call it a BEE. Wasps BAD...bees GOOD! Yellow Jackets, wasps which look a bit like bees, are nasty buggers who will live to sting again. Bees die when they sting because the stinger stays in the victim and that kills the bee. Bees are NECESSARY to pollinate and wasps, although they do some pollination, only seem exist to sting me and my loved ones. Wasps, as far as I know, never build hives anything like this one.

I looked really closely...these are honey bees. The combs are beautiful and filling up fast. It is a new hive and probably would be prized by any beekeeper. FIL has no plans on getting rid of it and, indeed, it is fascinating to watch. I just hope none of his tenants decide to do something about it and get stung.

I do not see ANY signs of aggression so I pretty much ruled out those Africanized bees. Those things scare me!!!